


On The Run

by drake_the_ice



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Cartenega-era, Everyone will be okay, Gen, Injury, Young Drakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-03 04:38:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10959816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drake_the_ice/pseuds/drake_the_ice
Summary: Sam and Nathan Drake are being chased through the streets of Cartagena. Sam's doing everything in his power to keep his little brother safe, but what happens when he can't?





	On The Run

**Author's Note:**

  * For [InkyJustine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkyJustine/gifts).



Sam’s palms were scraped and bloody, the bottom of his pants caked in mud, and that was before they’d even started running. It was nothing more than a job gone wrong - they’d picked the wrong guy to steal from - but it had led to them being chased through the streets by the Panama police.

“You a’ight, Nathan?” He craned his head back to look at his younger brother, nearly stepping on his heels in his attempt to keep up. The younger Drake didn’t reply, merely huffing out an affirmative breath. He was wearing some of Sam’s old clothes - the jeans rolled up or cut crudely with a knife - and they hung off the smaller frame of his adolescent baby brother. Sam hoped like hell that they’d find a way to lose the authorities soon, because they wouldn’t be able to keep up this pace for long.

“Construction site, up ahead Sam! Maybe we can lose them in there.” Nate pointed further in front of them, where red tape blocked an entryway to what looked like a derelict building site. Sam’s instincts warned him not to go willingly into an enclosed space like that, but sticking to the streets was an equally bad idea, and he hoped that he and his fourteen-year old brother would be able to lose their tail.

They both dived under the tape without breaking their pace, and made a dash towards a section of scaffolding accessible by a metal ladder. Sam gestured for Nate to climb first, while he warily watched the police’s imminent approach. They had gotten the number down to just two, but he knew that they would still be easily overpowered in a close-quarters fight. Their loot, a small locked chest that would potentially shed light on their newest adventure, rested safely in the small bag that bumped against Nate’s thigh as he climbed, and Sam wasn't ready to relinquish it.

Sam took the ladder in three steps as soon as Nathan was clear, and he hurried him forward. The police underneath them seemed to have decided not to climb up themselves, and were instead trying to predict where they would meet the ground again. Sam had other plans.

“Nathan, you gotta trust me, okay?” He grabbed his brother by the shoulders. Nate was shaking with exertion but his eyes were focussed as he nodded. 

“What are you going to do?” The younger Drake asked, but Sam had already begun to run, aiming for the roof edge that lay just within jumping distance. He heard Nathan gasp from behind him as he hit the edge heavily, but he managed to scrabble on the gutter until he could swing his body up to safety. 

Turning back once he’d composed himself, he gestured for Nathan to follow him. The police were just beginning to realise that they were doing and starting to run to the ladder, but they would still have a vital few seconds of a head start. It could be enough to lose them. 

Sam knew his brother wasn’t going to land on his feet as soon as Nathan left the ground. Jutting his arm out as far as he could, Sam braced himself to catch his brother’s weight, but Nathan was too far away, and instead caught himself on a drain pipe several feet below. 

He saw Nathan struggle to wrap his body around the thin cylinder of plastic, his hands already losing their grip. The police long forgotten, Sam dropped to his stomach and held out his arm.

“Nathan! Grab my hand!” 

Nathan looked up at Sam, his face frozen in fear. His body now half-dangled off the ground, the rest pressed weakly around the pipe. Sam could see his body tensing as if he was preparing to reach, but he was slipping faster than he was moving. He wouldn’t be able to grab on in time.

“GIVE ME YOUR HAND!” Sam said again. Nathan looked startled by the volume but surged upwards, his hand outstretched towards Sam’s proffered arm. For a moment, Sam felt his hand wrap around his brother’s wrist, but just as quickly it slipped away, and Nathan plummeted to the ground. 

Sam shouted his name, drowning out the sound of Nathan’s yell as he fell to the ground below. He felt as if his heart had stopped, and his body felt frozen in time as the police circled his brother on the ground. They spoke to each other, out of Sam’s range of hearing, and then plucked the bag from his belt. Right at that moment, Sam couldn't even remember what was inside - it didn't matter. For a moment, they looked up and made eye contact with Sam, before disappearing out of sight. A thief was one thing, but no one wanted to fill out the paperwork for a dead kid.

Sam climbed down from the roof faster than he'd ascended it, and in only a few seconds he was at his brother’s side. From where he'd watched it happen, Nathan had looked small and fragile on the ground, but from a closer angle Sam could see him taking heaving breaths, his eyes squeezed shut in pain. 

“Nathan? Nathan!” Sam took his brother’s face gently in his hands, careful not to be too rough. Nathan gave a shaky gasp as his eyes shot open, the adrenaline still pumping through his body. Sam had to restrain himself from grabbing his younger brother and hugging him close to his chest in relief.

“They got the cross, Sam…” He murmured, disappointment clear on his face. He pushed at the ground with his hands and Sam gently helped him sit up. 

“Who cares about the cross, I thought you were a goner...” Sam barely heard his words, too busy checking over his brother. He pulled up the back of his shirt to feel each of his ribs, checking for possible fractures. Nathan winced at the attention, but miraculously Sam’s investigation brought up nothing more than what would turn into some severe bruising. They took a few minutes to calm themselves, before standing up together. 

“What do we do now?” Nathan asked, his eyes wide. His grazed hands still shook slightly, and Sam clasped them, offering a small but genuine smile.

“We’ll just have to steal it from the police, little brother.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was the result of a very old prompt bingo that Nathamuel gave me - and I've only just gotten around to finishing it!
> 
> The prompts were "GIVE ME YOUR HAND", almost getting caught, and fear/terror


End file.
